1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to implantable medical devices that are associated with telemetry means for wireless data exchange with external units. More particularly the invention relates to a method for organizing not yet implanted implantable medical devices as well as a computer program, a computer readable medium, a system and a local administration unit for implanting such a method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years the processing and data storage capacity of implantable medical devices (IMD), such as pacemakers, has increased dramatically. Following this advancement, techniques for interacting with these kinds of devices has likewise been developed. Today, a broad spectrum of different systems are known for supervising and re-programming implanted medical devices over various kinds of communication networks.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical structure for such a system. A medical device 110 having a telemetry unit is here presumed to be implanted into a patient 115. The device 110 is able to exchange data DR with a repeater unit 130 via a wireless channel 120, which is set up between the telemetry unit in the repeater unit 130 over the network 140. The repeater unit 130, in turn, has a network interface 140a to a communications network 140. An external unit 150, e.g. a remote programmer, also has a network interface 140b to the network 140 and may thus communicate with the repeater unit 130. This, in combination with the wireless channel 120, accomplishes a chain of communication between the external unit 150 and the device 110, which preferably is bi-directional. Classically, measurement data is sent from the device 110 to the external unit 150, while control commands, parameter settings and/or re-programming code is transmitted in the reverse direction. In most cases, the external unit 150 is linked to a memory 160 including at least a patient database. The characteristics of the device 110 and mode of operation can thereby be adjusted, for example based on historical measurement data from the device 110, which has been loaded into the memory 160 earlier.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,705 discloses a distributed network system for use with IMDs, which enables a multitude of programmers to communicate with a specific IMD. A network server allows each programmer to exploit a far greater amount of processing power than a stand-alone programmer. Moreover, a database linked to the network server provides easy information access to the physicians as well as a basis for software updates of the IMDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,698 discloses a worldwide patient location and data telemetry system for IMDs through which the function of the devices may be selectively monitored. Telemetry data may be transmitted via a satellite network, a landline telephone network or a cellular telephone network.
Published U.S. patent application Ser. No. 20010031997 describes a data communication system, which permits collaboration between distributed clinicians regarding distributed or remote IMDs. By means of the system, an implanted medical device may be polled by an interface device external to the host patient and data may be transmitted to the interface device through wireless communication. This data may then be sent to a central computer for storage and further distribution.
PCT Application WO01/82210 describes a component architecture for medical devices system networks, which are intended to administer implanted medical devices over at least one network, such as the internet. The proposed system enables a central computing resource to exchange data with a particular medical device that is implanted into the body of a patient. Naturally, the existence of the device in question inside the body is here presumed to be known beforehand. Moreover, before initiating the data exchange, the patient must position himself/herself within communication range of a network interface that is adapted to communicate with the implanted device.
Thus, the prior art includes many examples of solutions for remote supervising and re-programming of implanted medical devices but there is no solution for administrating IMDs. Therefore, all administrative procedures with respect of devices in this category must be effected on a manual basis, which in many cases can be both resource and time consuming. For instance, if a recall of devices becomes necessary, this typically affects only not yet to be implanted devices. Still, locating each relevant device could prove to be a very complex task, particularly since a given batch of devices may be distributed to a large number of retailers and hospitals around the globe.
Other problems are billing and stock tracking, i.e. maintaining an up-to-date inventory of devices currently in stock, either at the manufacturer or at a retailer.
Furthermore, in emergency situations it may be critical to quickly find a suitable IMD for a specific patient. A large local stock (at e.g. a hospital), which includes a wide variety of products here poses an additional problem.